Loida Nicolas-Lewis - Filipina
Tycoon is probably the richest Filipino living outside her
home country. She is the chairman and CEO of TLC Beatrice
International Holdings, Inc., a two-billion-dollar
corporation of 64 companies based in 31 countries.
Cecilia Pagkalinawan - Dotcom CEO
30-year-old Filipino-American woman set the fashion trend
among Internet executives in New York's Silicon Alley, the
East Coast version of California's Silicon Valley. Founding
president and CEO of Boutique Y3K
Eleanor "Connie" Mariano - The
47-year-old physician and a top-ranking officer of the US
Navy. Mariano was the director of the White House medical
unit attending to the health of former President Bill
Clinton. When President George Bush got elected, President
Clinton asked her to stay and promoted her as Senior White
House Physician in February 1994 and director of the White
House Medical Unit.
Victor Franco Calanog - Top
Student at Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania,
Calanog was the chair of student affairs for the Graduate
and Professional Students Assembly, the student government
for the graduate and professional students of the 12 schools
of the University of Pennsylvania. He completed his MBA with
a triple major in finance, entrepreneurial management and
multinational management at the top of his class.
Dr. Fe del Mundo - First at
Harvard School of Medicine
The first Asian to have entered the prestigious Harvard
University's School of Medicine is an International
Pediatric Association (IPA) awardee. She studied and trained
at Columbia University, University of Chicago, Boston
University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Since
1941, del Mundo has contributed more than 100 articles to
medical journals in the U.S., Philippines and India. In
1966, she received the Elizabeth Blackwell Award, for her
"outstanding service to mankind". In 1977, she was bestowed
the Ramon Magsaysay Award for outstanding public service.
Robert Rivas - First Filipino New
Jersey Mayor 51, is the first Filipino-American mayor in the
New Jersey area. A lawyer by profession, Rivas was elected
mayor of Bergenfield in November 1999. He practiced law for
24 years. He graduated from the Seton Hall University School
of Law. He was the president of the Filipino-American
Association of Bergenfield from 1997 to 1999. He immigrated
to the United States in 1968.
Robert Cortez-Scott - was a
Harvard alumnus and was representing Virginia as the first
Filipino-American in US Congress
Josie Natorie - - A
Filipino-American fashion designer who owns and manages
Natorie Lingerie. In 2001, she was one of the Asian-American
awardees of the nonprofit Asians United to Raise Awareness
(AURA) Fund. Natorie was a successful stockbroker and
investment banker before she established her lingerie
business. She had served as the head of the Manila branch of
Bache Securities and as an executive of the investment
banking division of Merrill Lynch.
Lea Salonga - Broadway Star -
In London, Lea received the most coveted Laurence
Olivier Award for playing the role of Kim in Miss Saigon. It
was the start of a series of international awards that were
about to come her way. When the musicale moved to New York's
Broadway in 1991, Lea won the prestigious Tony Awards, Outer
Critics' Circle, and Theater World Awards. Her stint
at Miss Saigon also paved the way for bigger opportunities.
The magnificent singing voice of Princess Jasmine in the
Walt Disney animated production, Aladdin belongs to her.
Joseph Estrada - People call him
the "King of Action Movies". For more than four decades now,
he has ruled the local big screen, even putting in the
sideline another actor and friend who became more successful
in politics.
Fernando Poe Jr. is an icon
admired by millions of Filipinos and by his best friend, no
less than former President . They have been close friends
since their days together in the early '60s as stars of
action movies. It was Poe who first used the word "Erap" to
refer to former President Estrada.
Dolphy - The nation's Comedy King
- He shared many moments of great laughs with the Filipino
audience. As an actor and prime comedian, Dolphy entertained
the nation with his physical humor and classic jokes. At 74,
he still does and calls himself a happy man. In 1994, he was
given the Dangal ng Lipi award by the Bert Amorcelo Memorial
Foundation and the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award by
Urian. In 1999, the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP)
named Dolphy as one of the "100 Influential Filipino Artists
of the Century. He was also a Parangal ng Bayan and Golden
Father Foundation awardee.
Amapola - held the title of
Troubadour to the World bestowed on her by the Philippine
National Press Club, paved the way for other Filipino
concert performers in the US, when she opened a concert/
cabaret style show for the first time onstage at the Mabuhay
Gardens on Broadway in San Francisco in 1975; spearheaded
the first concert road tour ever presented by a Filipino
singer - the tour began in Northern California and continued
to the Greater Los Angeles Area, continuing on to Nevada,
Missouri and New York. Amapola's New York Town Hall concert
in 1973, sponsored by the Amihan Cultural Society garnered a
lengthy standing ovation. From 1976 to 1981 Amapola hosted a
magazine variety TV show on San Francisco's KEMO-TV, and was
resident chanteuse at the Fairmont Hotel until 1982.
Cacoy Canete -
Beauty Queens:
Angela Perez Baraquio - Miss America - the 25-year-old
Physical Education teacher was crowned Miss America in
October 2001 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, replacing former
title holder, Heather Renee French of Kentucky. Angela is
the first Asian American to win the Miss America title, and
the second Miss Hawaii to win Miss America, after Carolyn
Sapp won it in 1992.
Gloria Diaz - Miss Universe 1969
Miss Margarita Moran Miss Universe 1973.
Gemma Cruz - Miss International 1964
Aurora Pijuan - Miss International 1970
Melanie Marquez - Miss International 1979.
Pilar Pilapil - Miss Universe Title
Famous Singers
Lea Salonga for her starring role in the musical play
Miss Saigon and Jocelyn Enriquez who popularized the song Do
You Miss Me in 1996.
Pilita Corales - well revered and adored by her fans,
hosted "An Evening with Pilita" and holds the title
Asia's Queen of Songs to this day.
Regine Velasquez considered as "Asia's songbird"
Amapola Cabase aka Amapola, holds the title: "The Total
Performer" for her versatility onstage as singer, humorist,
and musical instrumentalist. Amapola also carried the title
"Cruise Ship
Headliner" for ten years from 1986 to 1996 doing concert at
sea for International audiences.
Martin Nievera and Pops Fernandez - famous on
the concert circuit in Asia and USA
Freddie Aguilar - Among the songs that gained
recognition abroad are "Anak" by Freddie Aguilar
Jose Mari Chan - for writing and performing the song
"Christmas in Our Hearts"
Master Painters
Juan Luna is considered as the finest painter this
country has ever produced. He joined the Madrid Exposition
where his painting, "The Death of Cleopatra" won the second
prize. This masterpiece is now on exhibit at the Museo
Nacional de Pinturas in Madrid. In 1884, Luna's huge
painting, "Spolarium", won the first Gold Medal at the
Exposicion Nacional de Bellas Artes, also in Spain.
Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo won the second prize in the
same event for his painting, "Antigone".
Fernando Amorsolo,
Vicente Manansala,
Guillermo Tolentino,
Emilio Aguilar Cruz,
Fabian dela Rosa,
Hernando Ocampo,
Victor Edades,
Martino Abellana,
Arturo Rogerio Luz,
Jose Joya,
Carlos Francisco,
Cesar Legaspi,
Mauro "Malang" Santos
Filipino Generals in the US
Maj. Gen. Edward Soriano,
Brig. Gen. Archine Laano,
Brig. Gen. Antonio Taguba.
One of the World's Finest Poets
Jose Garcia Villa (Doveglion) was one of the world's
finest contemporary poets. Villa, who spent most of his life
in a New York apartment, was praised by critics for his
beautiful poetry. American poet, e.e. cummings even wrote a
poem, Doveglion, Adventures in Value, for Villa. Another
American poet, Dame Edith had praised Villa's works as being
"amongst the most beautiful written in our time." Among
Villa's acclaimed works are Many Voices (1939),
Poems (1941), Have Come Am Here (1941),
Selected Poems and New (1942) and A Doveglion Book of
Philippine Poetry (1962). Villa was born in Singalong,
Manila on August 5, 1908.
Living Treasures
Since 1993, the National Commission for Culture and the
Arts (NCCA) has recognized eight national living treasures -
folk or traditional artists who have employed indigenous
materials to create valuable artworks depicting their
respective communities. Those rewarded were Masino Intaray,
a poet, musician and story teller from Makagwa Valley,
Palawan; Samaon Sulaiman, a kutyapi player from Maganoy,
Maguindanao; Ginaw Bilog, a Mangyan poet from Mansalay,
Oriental Mindoro; Lang Dulay, a T'boli artist from South
Cotobato; Salinta Monon, a Tagabawa-Bagobo weaver from
Bansalan, Davao del Sur; Alonzo Saclag, a dance researcher
from Lubuagan, Kalinga; Federico Caballero, a Sulod-Bukidnon
epic chanter from Kalinog, Iloilo; and Uwang Ahadas, a Yakan
musician from Lamitan, Basilan. (Source: National Commission
for Culture and the Arts)
Filipinos
of the Century
